Man Claims Glaxo Drug Made Him Gay Sex Addict, Says Report

(CBS) A French man is suing global pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, claiming that Requip (ropinirole), a drug he was taking to treat Parkinson's disease, turned him into a gambling and gay sex addict, according to a report.

Didier Jambart, a 51-year-old married father of two, claims in the lawsuit, according to Agence France-Presse, that his behavior changed radically after he began taking the drug in 2003. He says he attempted suicide three times, that he became addicted to Internet gambling, and that he became a cross-dressing gay sex addict.

Jambart also reportedly claims that his pursuit of risky sexual encounters led to him being raped.

The behaviors stopped, according to the suit, when he stopped taking the drug.

He is seeking the equivalent of $610,000 in damages from Glaxo and from his neurologist, says the news agency.

Hypersexuality and compulsive gambling are considered possible rare side effects of the drug, and patients have been warned "that some people who took medications such as [Requip] developed gambling problems or other intense urges or behaviors that were compulsive or unusual for them, such as increased sexual urges or behaviors."